Rail-joint.



F. T. IIIALICH.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 21.1916. 1,205,286, mem@ Nw. 1,19 6

2 SHEETS-'SHEET I.

Z0 .El

P. T. MALICH.

HAIL omg l 4 APPIAQICATION FILED }ULY.2I, 1916- A 'l n 1,2523, Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

new

FRANK T. Manton, or annoia, omo.

mmm

Application filed July 2l, 1916.

To all l1li/wm it may concer/i Be it known that I, FRANK T. Maillon, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Akron, in the county'of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain and useful Improvements in' Rail- Joints, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in rail joints.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a ready means for locking together in longitudinal alinement railway rails without the employment of screws or bolts, the arrangement being such as to allow a release of the joint only upon inverting the connected rails.

A further object of the device is to provide the ends of railway rails in such a manner as to cooperate with a special form of slidable fish plates and locking members as to form tween the said rails.

A still further object of the device is the provision of a connection for railway rails employing cooperating members with spe` cially formed end portions upon the rails whereby the rails are locked in operative arrangement by means easy and inexpensive' to manufacture and employing but'few parts.

In the drawings forming apart of this application and in which like 'designating characters refer to corresponding 'parts throughout the several views, Figure l is a side elevation of a rail joint of the present construction. Fig. Q is a similar view with the locking plates removed. Fig. 3 is a central horizontal longitudinal sectional view thereof. Figs. el and 5 are vertical transverse sectional views taken respectively upon lines IV-'V of Fig. 1 and V-V of Fig. 6 is a. perspective view of portion of one of the rails. Fig. l is a perspective view of one of the locking plates employed showing` the inner sld'e thereof. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the bridge pieces. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the same. Fig. l0 isa view showing a portion of the members illustrated in Fig. l partially broken away,.and, Fig. l1 isa perspective view of the locking wedge employed.

It being understood that` the present de* vice is designed for securing railway rails Fig. 3.

Specification of Letters Patent. y

' transverse ties 22,

an automatic: lly secured joint be-y an end f illustrated vin Fig. positionable within Batented Nov. 2t, i916. serial No. 119,447.

operatively positioned, the same is herein illustrated in connection with two rails 20 and 2l illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings operatively positioned in longitudinal alinement mounted in the usual manner upon securing spikes 23 being driven into the ties and overlying base flanges 2l of the rails.

In connection with the rails 20 and 2l it will be seen that the rail 21 has its web provided with a stop block QG extending between the base flange 24 and the tread 27 thereof while the rail 20 is provided with a similar block 2G but upon the opposite side of the rail from the block 2G. rl`he webs 25 of each rail :20 and 2l are provided with elongated strips or guides 2S having longitudinal dove-tail grooves 29 extending throughout the upper and lower edges thereof, the said guides terminating at the said blocks :28.

'The guides 2S are provided with oblique slots 30 substantially mid-way of each portion thereof upon each of the rails. and alining cut-out portions 3l at the tops of said guides, the said slots and cut-out portions being adapted for the reception of bridge pieces conforming in shape thereto and adapted for spanning the space between the two rails 2O and 2l when operatively fitted within the said cut-out portions and slots as best illustrated in Fig. The bridge pieces 32 are of substantially inverted U-shape in form having` marginal longitudinal grooves 33 adapted for alining with the grooves E29 of the guides QS.

Fish plates 3l are adapted to be placed over the guides and bridge pieces at each sideof the joint. each of the said plates having a complementally formed recess with inwardly-extending flanges 8G whereby the plates may be flatly engaged with the webs 25 and slidably arranged upon the guides 2S and bridge pieces with the flanges 3G fitting within the grooves 29 and 33 and in Vwhich position the opposite marginal edges of the guides 28 and bridge pieces 32 will be slidably seated within the opposite valleys 37 formed by the flanges 3G as best illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

A locking wedge 3S of the form best 1l of the drawings is a receiving socket 39 arranged in the guides Q8 adjacent the blocks 2G, the said wedge being held at the top of 2 of the drawings.-

Aits loweriiange 36 at a engagement with the adjacent stop block the socket 39 when the plate 34 is applied, the said wedge having a shoulder 40 at such times seated upon the free edge of the lower flange 36 of the plate 34, the wedge having a bottoni flange 41 arranged within the lower valley 3T thereof. Each of the plates 34 is provided with a keeper notch "42 in point adjacent one end thereofwhich is .opposite 'the closed end 43 of the plate, the notch 42 being adapted to register with the socket 39 of the guide 38 upon which the plate is positioned when theopening of the plate is in 26. TWhen the plate 34 is longitudinally shifted for bringing the notch 42 in alineinent with the socket 39 of the adjacent guide 28, the wedge 38 positioned within such socket 39 drops by reason of its own weight until the inner substantially squared bolt portion 44 of the wedge seats'within the notch 42 whereby the plate 34 -is securely locked to the guide 28 preventing removal of the plate and securing the members in their operative positions. rlhe rails being securely locked in longitudinal aliiieinent by the device as just described, a releasing of the same is only pdssible by overturning the rails 20 and 21 allowing each of the wedges 38 to move toward the closed ends of the sockets 39 and releasing plates 34 which may then be slidably removed from the rails, the latter being entirely disconnected by thereafter removing t-he bridge pieces 32. The plates 34 are provided with base flanges 45 positioned upon the base flanges 24 of the rails 'when the device is operatively arranged and at which times the spikes 23 are preferably positioned adjacent the opposite ends of the said flanges 45.

lfVhat claim as new iszl. A rail joint comprising in vcombination with alined rails, guide strips arranged upon the webs of the said rails provided with inclined slots Communicating with longitudinal ciit-oiit portions, a bridge piece seated within the said slots and cut-out portions when the device is assembled, the said strips and bridge pieces having alining grooves in tlieir-iipper and lower edges, and

a recessed fish plate longitudinally slidable -overthe said strips and bridge pieces contacting within the said grooves. I

j 2. Arail 'oint comprising in combination with alined rails, guide strips arranged upon the webs ot the' said rails provided with inclined slots communicating with longitudinal cut-out portions, a bridge piece seated within the said slots and cut-out portions when. the device is assembled, the said strips and bridge pieces having alining grooves in their upper and lower edges, a

recessed fish plate longitudinally slidable over the said strips and bridge pieces contactingwithin the said grooves, a stop block vsaid strip socket,

upon the webs of the said rails provided with inclined slots communicating with longitu'dinal cut-out portions, a bridge piece seated within the said slots and ciit-out portions when ythe device is assembled, the said i strips and bridge pieces having alining grooves in their upper and lower edges, a

recessed lish plate longitudinally slidable over the said strips and bridge pieces contacting within the said grooves, a stop block arranged at one end of the said strip, the

said strip having a receiving socket opening at the lower edge of the strip and arranged between the said block and adjacent slot, a gravity operated wedge positionable within the said socket, the lower portion of the said plate having a keeper notch adapted for the reception of the said wedge when said notch and socket are positioned in substantial alineinent with each other when the said plate is operatively positioned.

4. A rail joint comprising rail ends having adjacently positioned webs, guide strips longitudinally arranged upon the said webs having side grooves and one of the said strips having a socket'opening at thebottom of the strip, a' fish vplate having a recessed face provided with inwardly extending upper and lower flanges arranged within the said grooveswhen the plate is slidably positioned upon the said strips, the lower one of said flanges having a keeper notch therein adapted for alining with the said strip socket, and a-.gravity operated wedge arranged within the said socket and seated within the said notch when the said plate is operatively positioned.

5. di rail joint comprising rail ends having adjacently positioned webs, guide strips longitudinally arranged upon the said webs having side grooves and one of the' said strips having a socket opening atv the bottoni of the strip, a fish plate having a re-A cessed face provided with inwardly eXt end-.l ing upper and lower flanges arranged within the said grooves when the plate is ably positioned upon the said strips,` the lower one of said flanges having a keeper notch therein adapted for alining with the and a. gravity operated wedge arranged within the'said socket and seated within the said notch when the said plate is operatively positioned. the en of said plate oppositethe said notch being closed and in abutting engagement with one end of the said strip when the latter is operatively arranged, and a stop block at the opposite end of the said strip' :i abutting inclined transverse -posite longitudinal engagement with the inelosed end of the Said plate when the latter is operatively arranged.'

6. A rail joint comprising rail ends havpositioned webs,

havin o adapted for the flanges when the atter is operatively arranged overlying the fl I -said bridge piece, and a lower flange upon having side the said Wedge at all times the lowerflange-,of the plate is positioned Within the plat rail joint comprising rail ends ing adjaoently positioned Webs, guide strips longitudinally arranged upon the said Webs grooves and one of the said arranged Within when the wedge e.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each,

- Washington, D. C.

of' the strip,

strips having av socket opening at the bottom a sh plate avinga recessed with inwardly extending upstrip in abutting engagement with the inclosed end of the said plate When the latter is operatively arranged,A the said strips being seated within the t-away portion and having opposite longitudinal grooves adapted fortlie reception of the said plate anges when the latter is operatively arranged overlying the said b idge piece, and a lower flange upon the said within the lower flange of the wedge is positioned In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

FRANK T. MALioH.

py addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

wedge at allv 

